Question

In "The First Seven Years" by Bernard Malamud, Feld's daughter Miriam has different dreams than her father because

A. she has been misguided by her life experience.
B. she must rebel against her father's values at any cost.
C. she has different priorities and passions than her father.
D. she prefers the materialism of Max to her father's idealism.

Answer 1

In "The First Seven Years" by Bernard Malamud, Feld's daughter Miriam has different dreams than her father because she has different priorities and passions than her father.

The correct option is C.

The story is about a father who wants to give all the comfort and happiness to his daughter which he has not able to give her. Feld thinks that wealth is the only way to attain happiness in life. Throughout the story, he feels insecure about his daughter Mirium of choosing someone with not equivalent to their social stature. For Fled appearance is of more importance than the inner qualities. Though Fled agrees to marry Miriam to Sobel, his insecurities never ended. He asked Sobel to work in his shop for more two years before marriage in order to see the efficiency of Sobel.

Answer 2

The answer is C. She has different priorities and passions than her father. At first, Feld wants her daughter to marry Max, a college boy who can provide money. However, Miriam does not enjoy the company with Max. She does not love him and this is where the conflict starts, her contradicting feelings against her father’s dreams for her.